different between support vs relieve

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /s??p??t/, [s??p???t]
• (General American) IPA^(key): /s??p??t/, [s??p???t], [s??p?o?t]
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /s??po(?)?t/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /s??po?t/
• Rhymes: -??(?)t
• Hyphenation: sup?port

Etymology 1

From Middle English supporten, from Old French supporter, from Latin support?. Displaced Old English underwreþian and Old English fultum.

Verb

support (third-person singular simple present supports, present participle supporting, simple past and past participle supported)

2. (transitive) To keep from falling.

3. (transitive) To answer questions and resolve problems regarding something sold.

5. (transitive) To back a cause, party, etc., mentally or with concrete aid.

6. (transitive) To help, particularly financially.
7. To verify; to make good; to substantiate; to establish; to sustain.
   • 1754, Jonathan Edwards, The Freedom of the Will

     to urge such arguments, as though they were sufficient to support and demonstrate a whole scheme of moral philosophy

8. (transitive) To serve, as in a customer-oriented mindset; to give support to.

9. (transitive) To be designed (said of machinery, electronics, or computers, or their parts, accessories, peripherals, or programming) to function compatibly with or provide the capacity for.

10. (transitive) To be accountable for, or involved with, but not responsible for.

11. (archaic) To endure without being overcome; bear; undergo; to tolerate.

    • This fierce demeanour and his insolence / The patience of a god could not support.

    • 1881, Robert Louis Stevenson, Virginibus Puerisque:

      For a strong affection such moments are worth supporting, and they will end well; for your advocate is in your lover's heart and speaks her own language […]

12. To assume and carry successfully, as the part of an actor; to represent or act; to sustain.

Synonyms

• (to keep from falling): underprop, uphold, stut

Antonyms

• (to back a cause, party, etc.): oppose

Derived terms

• supportable
• supported
• supportive

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English support, from Anglo-Norman and Middle French support. Displaced Old English underwreþung.

Noun

support (countable and uncountable, plural supports)

1. (sometimes attributive) Something which supports.

2. Financial or other help.
3. Answers to questions and resolution of problems regarding something sold.

4. (mathematics) in relation to a function, the set of points where the function is not zero, or the closure of that set.
5. (fuzzy set theory) A set whose elements are at least partially included in a given fuzzy set (i.e., whose grade of membership in that fuzzy set is strictly greater than zero).

6. Evidence.

7. (computing) Compatibility and functionality for a given product or feature.

8. An actor playing a subordinate part with a star.
9. An accompaniment in music.
10. (gymnastics) Clipping of support position.
11. (structural analysis) Horizontal, vertical or rotational support of structures: movable, hinged, fixed. (Can we add an example for this sense?)

Antonyms

• (mathematics): kernel

Hyponyms

• moral support
• (answers to questions and resolution of problems regarding something sold): first-level support, second-level support, third-level support
• (military): combat support

Derived terms

• support act
• support group

Translations

French

Etymology

From the verb supporter.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sy.p??/

Noun

support m (plural supports)

1. support
2. base
3. (heraldry) supporter

Further reading

• “support” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From Old French relever, specifically from the conjugated forms such as (jeo) relieve (“I lift up”), and its source, Latin relevo (“to lift up, lighten, relieve, alleviate”), combined form of re- (“back”) + levo (“to lift”). Compare levant, levity, etc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /???li?v/
• Rhymes: -i?v

Verb

relieve (third-person singular simple present relieves, present participle relieving, simple past and past participle relieved)

1. (transitive) To ease (a person, person's thoughts etc.) from mental distress; to stop (someone) feeling anxious or worried, to alleviate the distress of. [from 14th c.]
2. (transitive) To ease (someone, a part of the body etc.) or give relief from physical pain or discomfort. [from 14th c.]
3. (transitive) To alleviate (pain, distress, mental discomfort etc.). [from 14th c.]
4. (transitive) To provide comfort or assistance to (someone in need, especially in poverty). [from 14th c.]
5. (obsolete) To lift up; to raise again. [15th-17th c.]
6. (now rare) To raise (someone) out of danger or from (a specified difficulty etc.). [from 15th c.]
7. (law) To free (someone) from debt or legal obligations; to give legal relief to. [from 15th c.]

   This shall not relieve either Party of any obligations.

8. To bring military help to (a besieged town); to lift the siege on. [from 16th c.]
9. To release (someone) from or of a difficulty, unwanted task, responsibility etc. [from 16th c.]
10. (military, job) To free (someone) from their post, task etc. by taking their place. [from 16th c.]
11. (now rare) To make (something) stand out; to make prominent, bring into relief. [from 18th c.]
    • 1819, Lord Byron, Don Juan, III.76:

      The henna should be deeply dyed to make / The skin relieved appear more fairly fair […]

    • 1927, Countee Cullen, From the Dark Tower:

      The night whose sable breast relieves the stark / White stars is no less lovely being dark

12. (reflexive) To go to the toilet; to defecate or urinate. [from 20th c.]

Synonyms

• (to alleviate pain, ease): liss

Derived terms

• relieve oneself

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• relieve in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• relieve in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /re?ljebe/, [re?lje.??e]

Noun

relieve m (plural relieves)

1. relief (protrusion)

Derived terms

Further reading

• “relieve” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.